Islam House

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Hasaka Province, Ancient Treasures of the Old Levant

Hasaka, (SANA) – More than 1000 archeological sites dating back to the Stone Age, Acadian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Byzantine and Islamic periods have been excavated in Hasaka Province that shed light on the great history of the eastern region of Syria as a treasure house of ancient civilizations lived there.

In a statement to SANA, Director of Hasska Antiquities Department Abdul-Masih Baghdo said the national mission working at Tel al-Hasaka site unearthed a cathedral dating back to the 4th century AD, grape press and an ancient oven as well as some rings and bronze lanterns.

The archeologist Khaled Hammo said "the discovered city in Tel al-Mabtoh had an engineering design for streets and drainages. It dates back to the 3rd millennium BC. Other important findings include alabaster pot with bull and lion heads and a Bronze scythe."

The report of the Syrian-Belgium archeological mission working at Tall Shagher Bazar (Huteen) indicated the discovery of ancient round shaped buildings and cuneiform writings dating back to Old Babylonian period.

Excavations at Tall Bedr revealed some parts of a temple and a palace with two tumbled brick courtyards dating back to the Acadian period. Several Hellenistic pottery and jars were also uncovered.

Excavation works at Tall al-Hamdi unveiled different archeological layers dating back to the Mitanni period, some graves from the Sasani period and two archeological houses from the Hellenistic period.

Regarding the Palace region, a 9 m wide wall from the Hellenistic period was discovered. Other findings include a brick with the name of the Assyrian king shalmaneser III on it.

In Tall Berri, the Italian archeological mission found pottery fragments under brick buildings dating back to the 3rd millennium BC, a Babylonian floor, some walls from the Parthian period and ovens from the Islamic era.